Grip it and rip it.
If the 2006 Chrysler Classic of Tucson marks the end of the PGA Tour in Tucson, this year's event is likely to go out with a bang.
A very loud bang off the tee.
The top six long drivers on tour have committed to play in the Feb. 23-26 event at Omni Tucson National Golf Resort & Spa.
It likely will be the final year of the tournament with the anticipated announcement later this month that the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship will be moving to Tucson.
Leading the 2006 Chrysler field is J.B. Holmes, last week's winner of the FBR Open in Scottsdale.
Holmes, the medalist at the tour's annual qualifying tournament, is averaging 313.5 yards off the tee — second only to Bubba Watson's 324.9-yard average.
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Watson, who drilled a 398-yard tee shot at this year's Sony Open in Hawaii, also has committed, along with No. 3 Camino Villegas (311.8 yards), No. 4 Charles Warren (310.9), No. 5 Tag Ridings (309.5) and No. 6 Robert Garrigus (308.6).
Holmes, who rocketed from 464th to 77th in the official World Golf Rankings, is all but out of the match-play event, which takes the top 64 golfers.
He is not entered in this week's Pebble Beach National Pro-Am; the cutoff for match play is decided after that event.
"It was one of my goals to win out here," Holmes said. "It happened real quickly. I didn't expect it so soon. I knew that I had the ability. Every tournament I played, I just got more confidence and more confidence. It's just been a whirlwind right now."
As for Tucson National, the long hitters regularly reduce the par 5s to eagle or birdie holes. However, this year, two lengthened holes could present new challenges for the pros.
The par-3 seventh and the par-5 eighth holes of the Catalina Course have been lengthened in a redesign and addition of nine holes.
As a result, the length of the 18-hole layout has gone from 7,109 yards to 7,213 yards.
Most players will be able to reach the green in two at the 587-yard eighth, said Patrick Miller, Tucson National director of golf.
"Anything over par here and the players will be losing shots to the field," he added.
The longer seventh hole will require an accurate tee shot from 247 yards — or 45 yards longer than the previous seventh. A sharp slope to the left cannot be seen from the tee, and a bunker guards the right side.
"It can be made even longer with a little wind and the depth of the greens," Miller said.
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● What: PGA Tour's Chrysler Classic of Tucson
● Where: Feb. 23-26
● When: Omni Tucson National Golf Resort & Spa, 2727 W. Club Drive (near North Shannon and West Magee roads)
● Purse: $3 million
● Tickets: Call 571-0400 or (800) 882-7660.
● On the web: www.tucson. pgatour.com
